WINTER PARK FORUM

WINTER PARK — Most of the crowd at Winter Park’s seasonal ice rink on Christmas Day had never worn a pair of ice skates before. The indoor Winter in the Park rink, open through Jan. 7, is for many in the Orlando area a once-a-year chance to experience a traditional winter activity — even for those...

Winter Park Community News

Killarney Elementary School has a lot to be proud of, said Principal Kelly Steinke, from the programs they have for students to the active involvement of parents. But one distinction the school at 2401 Wellington Boulevard in Winter Park has that no schools want, she added, is a large percentage...

Now that the holidays are just about here, expect to see area businesses, city governments, and local residents starting to pull out their holiday decorations, giving their property that special look. At the same time, noted Officer Javier Rodriguez, the Winter Park Police Department is also taking...

It's about to get pretty icy in Winter Park. Now, it's not a massive cold spell expected to leave icicles dangling from local windows. But for those who love skating, it's a city tradition about to get back into business. Starting on Friday, Nov. 20, the city will once against host its annual holiday...

For nearly two years, a special task force has been looking for a site for a new library, to replace the aging and increasingly outmoded Winter Park Public Library. They've chosen a location – at Martin Luther King Jr. Park – and a budget of about $22 million to make it happen. Now the task force...

In 1974, Richard Nixon was president, the United States was still involved in the Vietnam War, "Happy Days" and "Good Times" were premiering on network television, and Peter Benchley's novel "Jaws" was first published. That was also the year when Same Jones accepted a position in the city of Winter...

Winter Park Business News

Amazon.com has been doing it for 21 years, operating without a storefront, but serving as an electronic commerce site for those who want to order their goods online – and do their shopping at home, in front of their laptop. Laura Haftel has had an actual storefront in Winter Park for 14 years....

After being in business for the past three years, Jesse Martinez said, the Alfond Inn truly knows how to get people into the holiday spirit. "There's a lot going on here in December," said Martinez, the general manager of the boutique hotel at 300 E. New England Ave. The hotel, which opened in...

It starts on Friday Nov. 20, when the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art will be doing its best to bring area residents into the holiday spirit. Holidays at the Morse, in fact, will feature a series of special Friday nights right through Christmas Eve, and Catherine Hinman, the museum's...

A request by developer Phil Kean, for permission to change the zoning on property he plans to develop on West Morse Boulevard, prompted a debate among commissioners – on whether they should sell a walkway that leads to the city's Community Center. "I'm having heartburn over this," said Commissioner...

Back in 1994, stage veteran Steven Flaa was involved in a Tampa production of "Forever Plaid," the off-Broadway musical revue written by Stuart Ross, and he quickly fell in love with the sweet-natured and nostalgic show. "It started off in the early 1990s as a celebration of the music that Stuart...

Winter Park Crime News

Sentencing for the teenager charged with witness tampering in the death of a Winter Park High School student was postponed to coincide with the Aug. 17-18 trials of the two teens charged with manslaughter in the killing of 15-year-old Roger Trindade. Attorneys for the three teenagers came to court...

On Wednesday, Marc Casey stood in front of his house at 1216 Golfside Drive in Winter Park, and acknowledged that from the outside, it looked sturdy and appealing. Then he added, "But you haven't seen the inside yet." Casey, a firefighter at the Kennedy Space Center Firefighters, encouraged people...

City commissioners are trying to strike a balance between getting enough police officers on the streets, where they have a clear visible presence – and the need to cope with the fast-rising rate of spending on the Winter Park Police Department.During a workshop on Monday to discuss the budget for...

At the beginning of July, Winter Park Police Chief Brett Railey took on a new role.No, he didn’t leave the department to accept a new position elsewhere, but he does have a new position in another sense. On July 1, the Florida Police Chiefs Association officially installed Railey as the association’s...